Harness-trace.



"PATENTED MAY 12, 190-3.

J. ZIEGLER. HARNESS TRACE. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 27, 1902.

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ma NORRIS PETERS c0, mom-arms" WA UNITED STATES Patented May 12, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB ZIEGLER; on OOFFEYVILLE, KANSAS.

HARN ESS -TRAC E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,730, dated May 12,1903.

Application filed March 27, 1902. Serial No. 100,248. (No model.)

To all whomjt mag concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB ZIEGLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Coffeyville, in the countyof Montgomery and State of Kansas,have invented a new and useful Harness-Trace, of which the following isa specification.

The present invention relates to harnesstraces; and the object thereofis to improve and simplify this class of structures.

In a patent granted to me on September 6, 1892, and numbered 482,289there is disclosed a buckle designed especially for adjustablyconnecting the trace-strap and hame-tug. In that structureabuckle-fram'e is provided that is detachably and'adjustably secured toone strap by means of a projecting stud and is provided withforwardly-extending forked fingers which are engaged by a loop attached"to the end of the other strap to be held. The great objection to thisstructure has been that the entire strain is transmitted by the loopthrough the frame and: to the stud, thereby causing either the breakageof the latter or the tearing out of the hole in which it is placed. Nowone of the very important .view of a portion of a trace constructed inaccordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionthrough'thc buckle connection. Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views ofthe two buckle members. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the guide-frameemployed.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding partsin all thefigures of the drawings.

The trace consists of a hame-tug 10 and the trace-strap 11, the adjacentends of which are arranged in overlapping relation, the hams-tug beingprovided with a plurality of openings 12. Secured to the overlappingends of the tug and strap are loops 13 and 14, the loop 13 of the tugbeing in the 'form of a guide-frame, through which is slidablypassed thetrace-strap, and said guide-frame is preferably provided with side eyes,a s15.

The loop 14, secured to the end of the tracestrap, constitutes onemember of the buckle and comprises side bars 14, provided with inturnedterminals having sockets 14 in their inner faces and connected at theirextremities by cross-bars 14 and 14. This loop is now made of a singlepiece, whereas in the former structure it was constructed of separatesections. The'sockets 14 are arranged at an inclination to the sidebars, or, in'other -words, diagonally across the inner faces of saidbars, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The

other member of the buckle is in the form of a frame made up of sidebars 16, a transverse offset end bar 17 to form a strap-receiving loop,and an intermediate cross-bar 18, that is provided with a projectingstud 19, ar ranged to engage in the openings 12 of the tug. The portionsof the side bars 16 which project beyond the cross-bar 18 constitute"fingers 20, which are located in angular relation to the main body oftheframe and to the hame-tug, passing diagonally across the side edges ofthe latter and in the sockets ll pff the side arms, said fingers havinginwardlybent terminal stop-hooks 21, that engage on opposite sides ofthe strap,'as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The under faces of these fingers20 are smooth, and the cross-bar 14 of the loop is therefore engagedwholly within the same and clamped between them and the hametug, asclearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, said hooks encircling the end barto prevent movement of the same in either direction.

It will be seen that by this construction the strain transmitted to theloop 14 will cause the cross-bar 14 of said loop to wedge tightlybetween the fingers 20 and the hametug, thus dividing the strain andtransmitting a great portion thereof to said hame-tug, thereby relievingthe stud 19 of the same, this action being obtained by the inclinedrelation of the fingers 20 and the inclined disposition of the sockets14*, through which said fingers pass. The inwardly turned stophooks 21,engaging over the sides of the strap, prevent the accidentaldisplacement of the loop when the trace becomes slack, and thus preventsthe unfasteningof the same. Should it become desirable to shorten orlengthen the trace, it is only necessary to disengage the loop 14 fromthe buckle-frame and move said frame until the stud 19 can be engaged inanother opening. It will be observed that this structure is very simple,and as both of the overlapping ends are secured to the adjacent strapthere will be no free or loose ends even when the trace is shortened toits fullest extent. The structure is less expensive than the arrangementnow ordinarily employed, in which a buckle is secured to the end of thehaine-tug and the trace-strap is adjustably secured to this buckle.

From the foregoing-it is thought that the construction, operation, andmany ad vantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages. of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a buckle of the class described, the combination with a looparranged to be secured to a strap and comprising side bars havinginturned ends connected by a cross-bar, said inturned ends havinginclined sockets at their inturned ends that extend diagonally acrossthe inner faces of the said bars, and a frame arranged to be secured toanother strap and having for wardly-proj ecting inclined side fingersthat extend diagonally across the side edges of the strap and throughthe sockets of the side bars, said fingers extending over the cross-barof the loop and having smooth under faces, whereby said crossbar will beclamped between said fingers and the strap held thereby.

2. In a buckle of the class described, the combination with a looparranged to be secured to a strap and comprising side bars havinginturned ends connected by a cross-bar, and a frame arranged to besecured to another strap and having forwardly-projecting inclined sidefingers that extend diagonally across the edges of the strap, saidfingers extending over the cross-bar of the loop and having smooth underfaces, and being furthermore provided with terminal hooks thatembracethe crossbar and engage over the side edges of the strap, wherebysaid cross-bar will be clamped between said fingers and the strap heldthereby.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with the loop 14composed of side and end bars and provided with inclined sockets at thejunction of the side and one end bar, of the frame composed of sidebars, an offset end bar, and an intermediate crossbar carrying a stud,the side bars being inclined to form fingers which cooperate with thesockets of the loop, and stop-hooks at the ends of the side bars.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB ZIEGLER.

Witnesses:

IRENE ELLIOTT, A. M. ETCHEN.

